A femtocell is often a small cellular base station, typically designed for use in a home or small business setting. The femtocell connects to a service provider's network via a broadband (i.e., such as DSL or cable). As an example, femtocell designs typically support two to four active mobile phones in a residential setting and eight to sixteen active mobile phones in an enterprise setting. A femtocell allows service providers to extend service coverage indoors, especially where access would otherwise be limited or unavailable.
For a mobile operator, a femtocell improves both coverage and capacity, especially indoors. Additionally, the femtocell also provides for potentially better voice quality and battery life of the mobile device. The femtocell allows for delivery of telecommunication services, and in particular, cellular services with handsets. The femtocell uses access points, which couple to certain Internet access over a data line. Examples of femtocells have been deployed by a variety of service providers. Common distance ranges for the femtocell are on an order of about ten (10) meters or less, although there are variations depending upon the carrier.
Although successful, other features are often desired with a femtocell network.